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State Sen. Favola receiving treatment for uterine cancer
State Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, announced Monday that she has been diagnosed with uterine cancer and underwent a hysterectomy on Friday. "The operation was successful and my care team at Virginia Hospital Center was wonderful," Favola said. Favola said a series of chemotherapy treatments is likely to follow, but she expects to continue her Senate duties between these sessions.
Decline to opine: Virginia attorney general will not weigh in on Hopewell firings issue
Virginia’s attorney general will not intervene in the question of whether a Hopewell city councilor’s vote to fire the city manager earlier this month represented a conflict-of-interest because he is a city employee. Hopewell Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Newman confirmed last week that Attorney General Jason Miyares would not offer an opinion on the vote by Ward 4 Councilor Ronnie Ellis. Newman had asked council to delay any action on the future of Dr. Concetta Manker until Miyares could opine on Ellis’ ability to vote.
Virginia panel aims to put court actions in clear language
In a state where many still live by the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” the idea of replacing ancient terms of legal procedures in state law feels more than a little daunting, the Virginia Code Commission says. But the commission is going to try, accepting Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell's request to make sure the language that tells non-lawyers how to navigate courts is clear to people who haven’t gone through three years of law school. It could get hairy.
Local food banks have lost 1.4M meals to Trump’s cuts
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains area is largely rural and conservative, with Donald Trump carrying all but two counties that checker the central and western part of the state in the 2024 election. It is also a place where it has become increasingly difficult for people to find enough to eat. Every free meal counts there, said Michael McKee, the CEO of Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, which is the main provider of food assistance to 25 counties in the region. But after the U.S. Department of Agriculture paused $500 million in funding for programs related to food in March, Blue Ridge and other food banks have been struggling to meet the growing needs of their communities.
Jennifer McDonald attorneys say judge’s errors at trial are grounds for appeal
Attorneys for Jennifer McDonald, the former executive director of the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority, are asking that an appellate judge vacate the judgment against her and remand her case back to the lower court. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon sentenced McDonald on May 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia to 14 years in prison for committing financial crimes while she was head of the EDA. ... Dillon also ordered McDonald as part of the sentence to pay $2,744,268.60 in restitution to the EDA and to forfeit $5,201,329 to the government.
Poor water quality in Hampton River could soon be improved by oyster reefs
Poor water quality in the Hampton River is a problem, but restoration projects are starting to change that. ... Plastic wrappers, water bottles, cigarette butts and other trash commonly wind up in the river. Polluted runoff from densely populated streets, parking lots and buildings also is one of the city’s biggest threats to clean water. For years, researchers at Hampton University have studied the water near campus to understand the existing oyster population and develop strategies for restoring the river. As a result of this decade of work, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and university researchers are turning to oysters to help improve the river’s water quality.
Jan. 6 rioter who assaulted police charged with burglary near Richmond
A Fairfax County man who assaulted police at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and smashed the glass pane through which Ashli Babbitt climbed before she was fatally shot, has been arrested again outside of Richmond. Zachary J. Alam is accused of breaking into a home this month while the residents were there. He appears to be the first Capitol rioter arrested on new charges after President Donald Trump granted clemency to the roughly 1,600 people charged for their roles in the insurrection.
A veterans’ reunion sits at the center of an online storm in Norfolk
An online flyer promoting a trio of controversial speakers at an upcoming reunion of the survivors of the 1967 bombing of the USS Liberty is fake, organizers say — but one of the speakers named in the flyer is scheduled to speak. The Liberty Veteran’s Association will hold its 58th anniversary reunion from June 6-9 at the Sheraton Waterside in Norfolk. This year, the small, private event and the hotel became the focus of days of criticism as pictures of the flyer circulated online. . . . The flyer has ricocheted around social media for at least the past two weeks, prompting calls for boycotts of the hotel and condemnations of the veterans’ organization.
Jay Jones, running for attorney general, launches ad featuring former Gov. Ralph Northam
Jay Jones, one of two Democratic candidates for attorney general, is launching a new campaign ad featuring former Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday. Backed by a six-figure ad buy, the commercial will air on TV in the Richmond, Norfolk and Roanoke broadcast markets, as well as statewide on streaming services.
Fort Eustis is set to lose a major command as part of an Army shakeup
The headquarters for the Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is expected to leave Fort Eustis as part of a large reorganization. The command has been headquartered at Fort Eustis since 2011. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George recently told the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee that the headquarters at Fort Eustis will be combined with Army Futures Command in Austin, Tx. to form the new Army Transformation and Training Command.